Emily Cooper (Lily Collins) has made a new match — and we're not just talking about polo. Yes, after their sweet Megève encounter, the mademoiselle is reunited with her mystery mountain man in Emily in Paris season 4 episode 8.
Marcello (Eugenio Franceschini) ends up being far more than the humble Italian goatherder he initially paints himself as, but will the "Italian Stallion" prove to be a real-deal contender for Emily's heart? Let's get into the episode!
A horse of a different color
Emily and Mindy (Ashley Park) are attending a polo match to cheer on Mindy's beau Nico (Paul Forman). (Sidenote: exactly what season is it supposed to be in the Emily in Paris world? Last episode was New Year's and now it's warm enough for short-sleeved equestrian action, except it's only been a few days storyline-wise. D'accord.)
While there, Emily recognizes Marcello, who is an old friend of Nico's from the London School of Economics. The flirtatious vibes are there and with everything feeling super-awkward between Emily and Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) — not helped in the slightest by his cozying up to Geneviève (Thalia Besson) — Emily leans into the attentions of the handsome Italian uomo. Looks like Em is officially getting back on the horse post-break-up with Gabriel.
One element of that romantic drama is done, for now at least: the next day as Emily is leaving her apartment, she sees that Camille's unit is empty with even Gabriel not knowing where she moved to. Is the love triangle finally dunzo?
Emily's got some stiff competition
Not so fast! At Agence Grateau, Emily tries to fish for details about Geneviève's wine-fueled night with Gabriel at his restaurant following the TV shoot. Though Gen assures that nothing unprofessional happened, Em is quick to remind her to maintain boundaries with their clients.
After a chilly greeting from Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu), Geneviève is worried she's overstaying her welcome at her apartment, especially since her dad Laurent is still in Saint Tropez. She asks Emily if she knows of any spare rooms available. Though Camille's unit is clearly up for grabs at the moment, Ms. Cooper surely doesn't want Geneviève living right across the hall from Gabriel, so she plays dumb.
Later, during a pitch meeting with the Bavazza coffee team, Emily scores a win when she suggests they serve espresso martinis at their event later. But then Geneviève butts in with the idea of having Gabriel included in the event. Though Julien (Samuel Arnold) congratulates Gen for boldly getting involved while still an assistant, Emily is unsurprisingly not pleased, telling Gen she should have run that pitch by her before mentioning it to the client.
Nico and Benoît are neck and neck
Speaking of competition, it looks like Mindy is still being pulled between her fidelity to Nico and her feelings for bandmate Benoît (Kevin Dias). During a photoshoot for Eurovision, the photographer tells the band they need to "give voters a story," but it doesn't matter if that story is true. Playing off "Mon Soleil," the story they craft revolves around the chemistry between Mindy and Benoît. Poor Étienne (Jin Xuan Mao) isn't even in the picture.
Benoît also helps Mindy pre-record her vocals for her Crazy Horse cabaret debut, so no one will notice she's lip-syncing "when Hansel and Gretel pop out." However, when the time for the performance arrives, the audio track isn't working, resulting in Mindy having to improvise, with some much-appreciated assistance from Emily backstage: she sings "Oops!…I Did It Again" live but every time she needs to show her chest to the audience Em throws another accessory for her to humorously cover up, adding a campy element to the show.
After the performance, Emily and Benoît are backstage to congratulate Mindy on her successful show, as is Nico, who initially wasn't going to attend but decided to surprise her with his support. Nico is uneasy about Benoît's regular presence in Mindy's life, but she assures him it's only about the music. That's not what Benoît told Emily on the way out, saying he found someone great in Mindy.
Marcello finishes in first
After their encounter at the polo match, Marcello sends Emily a little gift to her office: a very fancy cashmere scarf courtesy of his very fancy cashmere company, Umberto Muratori. Even Sylvie is impressed, saying the brand makes the best cashmere in all of Europe.
The gift also comes with Marcello's phone number, which Emily calls up after her night at Crazy Horse. Together, they stroll around Paris talking until dawn. She invites him to the Bavazzo party later that evening, but he's set to fly home to Rome. "We'll always have Paris," Emily jokes.
At the Bavazza shindig, Emily chats with Gabriel, who is there as a guest of the brand. "I know that things have been awkward between us, but I really don't want them to be," she tells him. But he thinks it's better for them to have some space and time alone to figure out what they really want.
Enter Marcello, who interrupts their conversation with the surprise that he moved back his flight to see Emily. She introduces Marcello to Gabriel, which gets awkward when the former starts explaining their Megève meet-cute and joking about the "jerk" boyfriend who left Em behind on the mountain. Gabriel laughs it off but excuses himself, leaving the party early and Emily unsuccessfully trying to rush after him.
Marcello catches up with her and tells her he wants her to come to Rome for the weekend, saying he'll get take care of her airline ticket. "Tell me you'll think about it?" he says, before laying a smooch on her. Pack your bags for Italy!
All episodes of Emily in Paris season 4 are now available to stream on Netflix.
